Film & Shorts Discussions > Random Comedy Reviews
Odor in the Court (1934) - Clark and McCullough
metaldams:
Bobby Clark and Paul McCullough are these days a forgotten comedy team except for those of us who really, really seek these old two reelers out. ODOR IN THE COURT, last I checked, is their most voted on film on IMDb.com, with only 41 votes. Starting out on stage before making some early talkies for Fox, they then moved onto RKO’s two reel unit in 1930 and would remain so until the mid thirties. Shortly after, in 1936, Paul McCullough sadly committed suicide. What we got in the meantime were a bunch of pre code comedies that had some raunchy humor for the time as well as familiar faces like Dorothy Granger, Bud Jamison, Vernon Dent and James Finlayson. Clark was a shyster who had painted on glasses and always had a wisecrack and a ton of energy. McCullough, whose role diminished as the years went by, pretty much tagged along and always had a quick remark and a twinkle in his eye, but really a case where Clark became the dominant character at RKO.
ODOR IN THE COURT is a high energy, pre code divorce court comedy where Clark and McCullough play lawyers and have no reverence for the judge or the legal system in general. Their contempt for authority very much plays like The Marx Brothers as does their penchant for spectacle. As they enter the courtroom, they’re joined by a huge marching band and audience. It feels like a giant pep rally with Bobby Clark leading the way, jumping in the stand and leading the crowd on. At one point, Clark even has the marching band play a giant g chord. A place of law getting made a spectacle very similar to The Marx Brothers in DUCK SOUP in their “We’re Going to War” musical number in parliament. Clark himself is also quite the spectacle, interrupting his rival lawyer after every sentence with an objection, him and McCullough sticking a rotten egg in the rival lawyer’s pants and making quite a broad performance as he is leading the witness stand. Bobby Clark proves himself to be a very energetic comedian here.
Other fun bits include Clark and McCullough trying to get Tom Kennedy to admit he is hurt after a slight fall down on the sidewalk. Kennedy is fine, but being the shyster lawyers they are, they try to exaggerate Kennedy’s condition by dirtying him up, tearing his clothes and giving him a black eye.
Later on, we get to see Clark and McCullough’s office, a room that looks like a bomb was ignited in it. In reality, it is because they enjoy throwing horseshoes indoors. They even encourage a client to throw a horseshoe through a glass door, landing on their secretary’s back side. To add to the pre code fun, they set up their rival lawyer by framing a picture where he is rubbing a women’s knee while she kisses him and for the best pre code moment of them all, there’s the woman standing above the ventilator. As the wind blows from below, her skirt lifts high in the air, revealing a garter belt stockings, and a pair of shapely legs. Clark and McCullough approve. So do I, if I’m being honest. Some people will say this is a precursor to the famous Marilyn Monroe shot twenty years later, but we all know the concept of a skirt being blown in the air by ventilator originated in kilt form by Stan Laurel in PUTTING PANTS ON PHILLIP.
So yes, ODOR IN THE COURT is a fun pre code comedy with a little raunch and tons of energy and disrespect for authority. Would make a nice short to view before Wheeler and Woolsey’s PEACH O’RENO - also RKO and a feature that deals with divorce court. An argument can be made these both their respective teams best films. If not, pretty darn close. Moronika’s own Geno Cuddy has every extant Clark and McCullough film available on his YouTube channel, Geno’s House of Rare Films. I highly suggest checking it out and subscribing.
GenoCuddy:
Great review Metaldams! ;D
This is my favorite of Clark and McCullough's RKO shorts, I don't think Clark has ever been so exhaustively funny than he is in the last reel of this.
As some board members may know, I guested on Phil Hall's Online Movie Show podcast discussing the pair, for those who haven't heard it, I will attach the link below.
I am elated to have had a small role in the reappraisal of Clark and McCullough's work, for too long I think they have been unfairly derided by most classic comedy buffs.
I think partly due to the minimal role of Paul McCullough which, if you watch the films very closely, he is always up to his own mischief in the background.
Some have also dismissed Clark as a ripoff Groucho Marx, but people must also remember that the loudmouth, wise-cracking shyster was a popular character in vaudeville and, during the grim and hard-boiled early 30's, was a welcome source of laughter as they saw in these characters, the little guy standing up to authority, the authority that the public lost trust in when the Stock Market crashed.
Also, yes, this would pair greatly with Wheeler and Woolsey's Peach O'Reno, two very similar films and it seems Peach O'Reno is almost an expansion on the two-reeler, very similar endings.
Also, worthy to mention is that this short is among the favorites of Richard W. Bann and Leonard Maltin, so if my words don't carry any weight, there you go.
Anyway, great review Metaldams, look forward to more!
Clark and McCullough podcast link: https://soundcloud.com/onlinemovieshow/clark-and-mccullough
metaldams:
--- Quote from: GenoCuddy on January 25, 2021, 07:54:35 PM ---Great review Metaldams! ;D
This is my favorite of Clark and McCullough's RKO shorts, I don't think Clark has ever been so exhaustively funny than he is in the last reel of this.
As some board members may know, I guested on Phil Hall's Online Movie Show podcast discussing the pair, for those who haven't heard it, I will attach the link below.
I am elated to have had a small role in the reappraisal of Clark and McCullough's work, for too long I think they have been unfairly derided by most classic comedy buffs.
I think partly due to the minimal role of Paul McCullough which, if you watch the films very closely, he is always up to his own mischief in the background.
Some have also dismissed Clark as a ripoff Groucho Marx, but people must also remember that the loudmouth, wise-cracking shyster was a popular character in vaudeville and, during the grim and hard-boiled early 30's, was a welcome source of laughter as they saw in these characters, the little guy standing up to authority, the authority that the public lost trust in when the Stock Market crashed.
Also, yes, this would pair greatly with Wheeler and Woolsey's Peach O'Reno, two very similar films and it seems Peach O'Reno is almost an expansion on the two-reeler, very similar endings.
Also, worthy to mention is that this short is among the favorites of Richard W. Bann and Leonard Maltin, so if my words don't carry any weight, there you go.
Anyway, great review Metaldams, look forward to more!
Clark and McCullough podcast link: https://soundcloud.com/onlinemovieshow/clark-and-mccullough
--- End quote ---
I first heard of Clark and McCullough about 20 years ago when I was in my early twenties myself. I was back then posting on the now defunct threestooges.com message board and a fellow poster sent me a VHS tape of about fix or six Clark and McCullough shorts, ODOR IN THE COURT amongst them. I enjoyed them, but have not watched much VHS the past several years. Your YouTube channel helped me to revisit the shorts on that collection plus several others I haven’t seen.
I personally never thought of Bobby Clark as a ripoff of Groucho, recognizing both were on stage for years and probably developed their characters separately. It would be great if we could see the origins of all these old characters, but their performances are lost to time, sadly.
As far as whose words carry weight, you’re posting this stuff online. A moving picture is worth 1,000 words, so we can now decide for ourselves thanks to you. More reviews will be on the way for sure, glad you enjoyed this one.
Dr. Mabuse:
One of my favorite Clark and McCullough films (which were largely hit and miss) and their last pre-Code outing. Released in August 1934, the refreshingly outrageous "Odor in the Court" managed to squeak by the Production Code, which was established a month earlier. We can be grateful this two-reeler avoided the censor's shears. A fast and furious short that demands repeated viewings.
An interesting quote from occasional director Sam White: "The thing about Clark and McCullough was that when you directed them on the set, they were hysterical. I used to think that the scenes I was making would split my gut. When we got it on film, it wasn't funny. They just never came off funny. They exuded some kind of chemistry in person that never came off on the screen as it should have." I wholeheartedly disagree, but it would have been great to see their live act.
Though the high-energy "Alibi Bye Bye" (1935) ended Clark and McCullough's career on a high note, I wonder how the duo would have fared in future shorts with the Hays Office breathing down their necks. Would they have met the same watered-down fate as fellow RKO comedians Wheeler & Woolsey? We'll never know.
10/10
metaldams:
--- Quote from: Dr. Mabuse on January 25, 2021, 09:47:51 PM ---One of my favorite Clark and McCullough films (which were hit and miss) and their last pre-Code outing. Released in August 1934, the outrageous "Odor in the Court" managed to squeak by the Production Code, which was established a month earlier. A fast and furious short that demands repeated viewings.
An interesting quote from occasional director Sam White: "The thing about Clark and McCullough was that when you directed them on the set, they were hysterical. I used to think that the scenes I was making would split my gut. When we got it on film, it wasn't funny. They just never came off funny. They exuded some kind of chemistry in person that never came off on the screen as it should have." I wholeheartedly disagree, but I would have loved to see their live act.
Though the high-energy "Alibi Bye Bye" (1935) ended Clark and McCullough's career on a high note, I wonder how the duo would have fared in future shorts with the Hays Office breathing down their necks. Would they have met the same watered-down fate as fellow RKO comedians Wheeler & Woolsey? We'll never know.
10/10
--- End quote ---
IMDb does state August 1934 like you mention and if that’s really the case - then this is not pre code. July 1, 1934 s when the code started. Hmmm, really shocked they got away with a few of these gags if that Aug 2 1934 date is accurate.
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